Maneuvering propeller means for ships



May 12, 1959 J. M. HAWTHORNE MANEUVERING PROPELLER MEANS FOR SHIPS FiledOct. 24. 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I villi/In JAMES M;

AHILIHIP HAW T H ORNE IN V EN TOR.

May 12, 1959 J. M. HAWTHORNE 2,885,990

MANEUVERING PROPELLER MEANS FOR SHIPS Filed Oct. 24. 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet2 FIG SHIP'S HULL.

PROPULSION uo-roa '78 PROPILSION srsamna MOTOR INVENTOR.

BY z in 7- w 0 m m H M s F- M M v May 12, 1959 J. M. HAWTHORNEMANEUVERING PROPELLER MEANS FOR SHIPS Filed Oct. 24, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet3 \fivoaulonnaojloal oatavnor HAWTHORNE JAMES INVENTOR. 7

United States Patent MANEUV'ERING PROPELLER MEANS FOR SHIPS James M.Hawthorne, Seattle, Wash.

Application October 24, 1955, Serial No. 542,153

6 Claims. (Cl. 115-35) This present invention relates to the general artof propellers'as employed in the driving and maneuvering of ships. Moreparticularly this invention relates: to what would normally be anauxiliary means which would be employed in addition to the mainpropulsion engines of a ship and which will admit of ready maneuveringof a ship under trying conditions of wind and tidal action. Theinvention comprises a screw propeller that is mounted for extensionoutwardly from within a ship during the especially under unusual windand current conditions.

This present invention is intended as a solution of this very perplexingproblem and while it might provide this sole propulsion effort requiredto move a ship in case of failure or damage to the main propulsion unit,it is intended primarily as an auxiliary means, and one which normallywould be employed near the bow of the ship. This device is provided withmeans so that the propeller thrust may be directed through the fullhorizontal plane and that its efiorts may be applied at any pointthroughout a 360 degree range.

Our most common knowledge on the diificul-ties of maneuvering boats isshown in many pictures of tugs maneuvering liners and freighters intodockage, such as occurs in New York harbor for instance, where tidalaction and current and winds are encountered. This, howe ever, is alimited field for equipment of this order. There are, throughout theworld, hundreds of ports in which the maneuvering of a ship is a verydifidcult problem and one which requires great skill on the part of theships masters if they are to efl ect their landings and departureswithout damage to their ships. Probably the most difficult situation ofthis order is in the Arcticor sub-Arctic areas where the harbors areusually beset by currents from streams or tidal action and which mostfrequently are of a terrain which encourages the gusty heavy winds, suchas the Williwaw of Alaska, where a wind may spring up very quickly anddevelop velocities up to eighty or ninety miles an hour. It has beenfound that under these conditions even a twin-screw ship is truly at themercy of the elements. Other conditions call for the exact maneuveringof the ship. Particularly illustrative of these conditions are thespecial ships that are made to haul loaded vehicles or loaded freightcars and which must discharge them upon trackage or roadways thatrequire that the ship be accurately positioned with respect to the exitthoroughfares. This present equipment is particularly adapted to solvethis difficult problem.

The principal object of this present invention therefore is to provide amaneuvering propeller means which may be wholly contained within thehull of a ship and then extended out of the hull for use and because ofits character may be placed in the bow of the ship where its propellerwill have the greatest possible effect in assisting the main propulsionmeans in maneuvering of the ship.

A further object of this invention is to provide a maneuvering propellermeans which is retractable and which may exert force to thrust thepropeller throughout the whole 360 degrees about its vertical axis.

A further object of this invention is to provide a retractable propellerarrangement wherein the housing for the power means may be sealed fromthe outside waters during its period of inactivity or when it isworking, thus permitting the evacuation of dirty water around the powermechanism to the end that a long useful life can be expected of thesame.

A further objectof this invention is to provide a retractable propellerunit employing an electric propulsion motor which is retractable withthe propeller unit to the end that the motor can be close to thepropeller and thus reduce the connecting mechanism to a minimum.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from thedescription and disclosure in the drawings, or may be comprehended orare inherent in the device.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of the bow portion of a ship, brokenaway and sectioned in part, to show a preferred location of this presentmaneuvering propeller means;

Figure 2 is a View similar to Figure 1 but in enlarged scale and in moredetailed section so that certain features of the equipment may be moreclearly brought out;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the transverse axis of aunit made after the teachings of this equipment and showing all theessential elements thereof;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Fig. 5 is a bracketed, perspective view showing, in section and explodedrelationship, the sealing means employed at the outer surface of aship's hull to provide an adequate seal for the same to the end that themotor compartment and the like can be un-watered after the equipment hasserved its purpose and is retracted for, possibly, extended periods.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings, thenumeral 10 designates the propeller used with this equipment. Propeller10 may conform to the best types employed in normal ship propulsion.Propeller 10 is driven by, preferably, an electric propulsion motor 12.This motor would be supplied with a vertical coaxial shaft and beoperatively connected to the shaft upon which propeller 10 revolves bysuitable conventional gearing. The propulsion motor 12 is mounted forvertical movement and may be raised or lowered or held in predeterminedposition by means of the threaded screw 14 and the gear nut 16. Theouter periphery of nut 16 is formed as a worm gear at 18, and is thensuitably engaged with a worm 20 which in turn may be driven by awater-proofed electric motor, as is indicated at 2 2. Worm 20 and motor22 are disposed within the revolvable housing 30. The propulsion motor12 is disposed in vertical guideways 26, which engage, in slidingrelationship, the outstanding lugs 28 formed as part of the propulsionmotor housing. Guideways 26, of which a plurality are employed, aresecured to the inner housing member 30.

Member 30 is provided with anti-friction bearings as at 32 and 34, atits lowermost end and the angular antifrictionbearing 36 at its upperend. This whole housing 30, the propulsion motor and the retractinggearing and motor 22 are therefore all revolvable entirely around theirvertical axis. The movement of housing 30 and the positioning of it,when the proper angular travel has been reached, is provided by the wormgear 40 and its associated worm 42. A separate propulsion steering motor44 is provided. Motor 44 and worm 42 are suitably secured to the fixedouter housing 46, which is concentric with the inner housing 30.Suitable housing 43 is provided for worm 42.

Outer housing 46 is fixedly secured to the hull H of the ship S and themanner of securing it in place will be a function of the cross-sectionof the ships bottom at the point where the installation is made. In manyships the bottom will be flat at that point and installation isrelatively simple. Ships which carry a sharp entrance in the lower partof their hull may need to resort to the construction illustrated inFigure 3 in which a preferably, streamlined outer hull housing 48 isprovided which is secured to the hull by conventional means, as bywelding thereto or being riveted thereto.

It is desirable that the outer housing or the ships bottom be providedwith a relatively heavy valve seating plate 59, and that a valve seat,as 52, be provided therein. A suitable valve or sealing means isillustrated in Figures 3 and in which an extension as 54 is provided forthe propeller gearing housing 56, and this extension provides means formounting the valve member proper 58. This valve member and its seat areillustrated in Figure 5 in which the valve has an angular valve face 6t)adapted to coast with valve seat 52 to form a substantially water-tightjoint. Such joints, however, are dithcult to maintain water-tight and itis preferred that a heavy sealing gasket, as 62, be inset in the face 60of valve 58 as an angular ring therein. On the upper face of valve 58are provided a plurality of lugs 64 and these lugs are adapted to passthrough openings 66 in plate 73. The final sealing is then achieved bypartially rotating valve 60 within the propeller opening 70 and havingthe overhanging lugs 64 cammed upwardly by the carnming surfaces 72, ofwhich one should be provided for each of lugs 64. Camming surfaces '72are formed, preferably, in a separate annular plate ring 73 which isfixedly secured to plate 50. This will effectively form a watertightjoint that will keep out any sea water from entering housings 46 or 30and permit the evacuation of any water that has entered during theperiod valve 58 is open.

At its lower end housing 30 is provided with a bearing and valve seatplate '76. This plate has a dual function in that it forms a bearingrace for the angular bearing 34 and the thrust bearing 32 and on itsinner surface a tapered valve seat is provided at 77, and this seat ispreferably provided with a compressible sealing gasket, as 7%. Thepropulsion motor 12 has its lower housing shaped as a valve, with thevalve portion 80 of the same bevel and adapted to coact with valve seat77, so that water can be evacuated from housing 30 after the motor seatsin seat 76. One convenient means of evacuating the water from housing 30and housing 46 is by air pressure introduced in the upper portion ofthese housings expelling the water through a partial opening of thevalves. An angular retainer member 82 is provided as a means ofretaining plate 76 and bearing 34. This ring 32 is removably secured tothe inner surface of housing 46. It is desirable that hand hole platesbe provided so that access can be had to ring 82 and the bearingsdisposed below it and to this end alignable man-holes 84 and 86 areprovided in the housings 30 and 46, respectively. The hand holes inhousing 46 are preferably covered by hand hole covers 88.

Formed as part of 01' secured to inner housing 30, is the upwardlyextending housing member 90. This member, of course, is revolvable withhousing 30 whereas the housing extension 92 of housing 46 is, at alltimes, fixed with the hull of the ship. Consequently, it isdesirable toprovide suitable packing as at 94, so that these members can be revolvedwith respect to each other. Ex-

4 tension provides a sealed-in housing for screw 14 when the propellerassembly is retracted and further provides a convenient manner ofcarrying the electric current conductors down to the propulsion motorand to the retraction motor 22. One satisfactory way of achieving thisis to provide on extension 90 a plurality of conductor rings, as 96, towhich the suitable leads conducting the current to the propulsion andretraction motors are secured. Exteriorly of rings 96 are brush contactmembers, as 98, which in turn have secured to them the feed conductorsThis equipment enables a ships captain to employ the unit at any time itis needed but otherwise it is normally retracted by means of motor 22,screw 14 and the connecting gearing. When in use the propulsion streamfrom propeller l6 may be directed at any angle in the horizontal planeand may thus be used to maneuver the bow of the ship, to stop the shipor to provide an emergency drive to move the ship in lieu of the normalpower plant.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the' abovedescription and the disclosure in the drawings that the inventioncomprehends a novel construction of a maneuvering propeller means forships.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim:

1. Maneuvering propeller means for a ship, comprising: a water-tightcompartment formed in the forward lower hull of the ship and having adownwardly open port therefrom to below the ship, a housing in saidcompartment and rotatably supported therein to be turned about avertical axis central of said port, power means acting betweencompartment and said housing manually controllable to adjust the rotaryposition of said housing about its axis, a waterproof propulsion motorin said housing and vertical guide means between said motor and saidhousing supporting said motor for vertical movement relative saidhousing and preventing relative rotary movement therebetween, manuallycontrollable power driven means between said housing and said motoroperative to raise and lower said motor, said motor having dependingtherefrom a gear housing and a propeller on an axis laterallyoutstanding from. said housing and movable with said motor from an upperposition completely in said housing to a lower position beneath saidhull.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 in which the power means between saidhousing and compartment include an annular worm gear on said housing anda worm secured to said compartment and engaged with the gear, and inwhich the power driven means for raising and lowering said propulsionmotor include a vertical screw, a nut engaged with said screw androtatably supported in the upper end of said housing to rotate about avertical axis and a worm drive provided by worm. gear threads formed onthe perimeter of said nut and a worm on said inner housing adapted to.raise or lower said motor and propeller assembly and secure it in itsadjusted position.

3. The subject matter of claim 1 in which said housing has an upstandingextension above said nut to receive said screw in its upper position andsaid compartment having an upwardly extending portion making a sealedengagement with the housing extension below the upper end of the housingextension, and electrical connections for said propulsion motor and forthe power driven means for raising said motor connected to a conductorring and brush assembly at the upper end of said inner housing extensionand leading down therethrough to said inner housing.

4. The subject matter of claim 1 in which there is a valve seat plateabove said port and having an opening aligned therewith and said valveseat plate carrying an annular gasket forming a seal with the lower endof said propulsion motor in the lower position thereof whereby a seal ofthe compartment can be efiected and the inner housing and compartmentcan be evacuated of sea water when the motor and propeller are loweredto the lower operating position.

5. A maneuvering propeller assembly for a ship, comprising: acompartment formed in the lower hull of the ship, a housing rotatablymounted in said compartment for adjustment in position around a verticalaxis, said compartment and housing having lower aligned openings v tothe water below said hull and a waterproof motor vertically positionedin said housing carrying a depending propeller gear housing, right angledrive gears and a propeller operatively disposed on a horizontal driveshaft and a valve plate supported by the gear housing below saidpropeller and the motor being positioned in said housing by guide meansguiding lowering and raising thereof and preventing relative rotarymovement therebetween, manually controllable power means acting betweensaid housing and said compartment for adjusting the position of saidhousing, motor and propeller about a vertical axis, manuallycontrollable power means between said motor and said housing for raisingand lowering said motor between a first lower position in which saidpropeller is in position to engage Water below said hull and a secondupper position in which said valve plate makes a sealed contact with theopenings to said compartment and said housing and facilitates evacuatingwater from said compartment and said housing.

6. The subject matter of claim 1 in which there are means for sealingthe lower opening to said. compartment when said propeller is in eitherits upper or in its working position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS439,312 Torrey Oct. 28, 1890 800,184 Stola Sept. 26, 1905 1,319,182Sitney Oct. 21, 1919 2,075,594 Throndsen Mar. 30, 1937 2,741,210 PeppardApr. 10, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 832,537 France July 4, 1938

